The Shape of a Hood

It takes guts to promote an LGBTQ book when you’re eighty-one and live in the state of Florida; fierceness to boldly step up on a platform and incur the wrath of the governor. As the character arc in a novel, the protagonist faces conflicts, grows, backslides, is wishy washy, finds courage, and discovers their new voice. They may, in the last chapter, throw off the sad-sack and fearlessly begin a conversation about human rights.

In the “Don’t Say Gay” state of Florida, for a retiree, it may take more than guts to make a political statement. It may require fierceness by uncovering an agenda in the shape of a hood…

The luggage in the crawl space, leaving or staying, giving in or fighting, the persecution of a culture, ethnicity, gender, a denial of human rights, an agenda in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

The valance dressing up the window, a canopy disguising the flaws in the casement, distracting the eye from red tide and dead manatees, suppressing a culture, ethnicity, gender, a ruling in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

A book jacket stirring up vitriol, resulting in chaos and fear, restricting access, prohibiting instruction, harming education, fueled by hate, legislation in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

The dining room stool upholstered in leather, dressing up in a tux, selling the sizzle, ignoring the infrastructure, distracting the people, a smokescreen in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

The scent of orange blossoms hover, the citrus industry fouling the soil, a mega deal to clean up what they ruin, a political agenda helping big business, harming human rights, an indictment in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

.Perfume smothering the stench, dead fish on the beach, green slime on the river, ignoring the infrastructure, violating human rights, an ordinance in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

A lamp shade, diffusing light, distracting constituents from serious problems in the infrastructure, red tide, toxic run-off, fish kills, keeping the focus on abortion, gender identity, LGBTQ, enacting a law in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

The dark glasses concealing the truth, disguising intentions, wrapped around a law violating the rights of human beings, a travesty in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

The lid on the storage container, restricting access, censoring books, boxing up titles, generating fear-based guidelines in the shape of a hood… in the State of Florida

What started out a daily rant on X (formerly Twitter) has morphed into a book. In Breaking the Code of Silence, I must battle a powerful politician who wants to deny the human rights of individuals while ignoring the crumbling infrastructure and fragile environment of Florida. To be successful I will need a community.

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